Apparatus for winding strands



Dec. 28, 1948. SLAYTER 2,457,786

I AfPARA'rUs FOR WINDING STRANDS I .led Dec. 22, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Gama filayber B Y v m'z'aemvs Dec. 28, 1948. e. SLAYTER APPARATUS FOR WINDING STRANDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.. 22, 1945 INVENTOR.

Gpmed/ s yter BY HTTOPNEYS.

Patented Dec. 28, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE 2,457,788 APPARATUS roa WINDING STRANDS Games Slayter, Newark, Ohio, assignor to Owensrporatlon, a corporation of Corning Fiberglas Delaware Application December 22, 1945, Serial No. 836,985

producing filaments having a more uniform diameter.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a yieldable support operable during the winding operation to relieve the compressive forces created by winding the strand and which g at the sametime is operable to apply a braking fibers or filaments, such as disclosed in the Slay ter and Thomas Patent No. 2,034,986, the fibers or filaments as they are attenuated from the molten glass are wound onto a rigid tube, which is usually slipped over a rotatable spindle to be removably supported thereon. After a certain quantity of fibers is wound on the tube, the latter is slipped off the spindle and the fibers are removed or unwound from the tube onto standard spools or' the like to enable shipping or transporting the same to mills or other places for processing into yarns, fabrics and other products.

Although the tubes are relatively rigid, either the thermal contraction of the newly formed filaments on the tube or the accumulated stresses set up by the winding tension, or possibly both,

exert high compressive forces on the tube and cause the tube to contract in diameter. This limits the amount of material that may be wound on the tube without compressing the tube to such an extent that it clamps the rotatable holder with such force as to render removal of the tube from the holder extremely difiicult.

The present invention has as its object overcoming the above objections.

A further object of this invention is to provide a yieldable support on which the filaments are wound and which is capable of counteracting the tension produced by the fibers during the winding operation. This has the effect of reducing the tightness ofthe filamentsin the wound package. Also, by such means the diameter of the package may be gradually and slightly reduced as the compressive forces are increased by the accumulated windings on the tube. As a result, the diameter of the outside of the package has more of a tendency to remain constant throughout the winding operation. This is especially desirable in producing glass filaments where the latter are attenuated by the winding means since it provides for obtaining a more uniform peripheral speed of the package throughoutthe winding operation and thereby insures force on the package upon cessation of the winding operation.

Also, at the termination of the winding operation, all forces are removed from the package and the filaments in the package relax to some extent with the result that there is less tendency for the filaments to become welded together by the binder usually employed in cases where the filaments are produced from glass. As a result, the filaments may be more easily unwound from the package and filament breakage is reduced to a minimum.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a yieldable support for the tube that is so constructed that the centrifugal force set up by the winding operation serves to closely clamp the tube to the support and no special means need be employed for gripping the tube to drive it.

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus for producing and winding a strand of fibrous material such as glass fibers or the like;

Figure 2 v is a longitudinal sectional. view through the winding tube, the supporting spindle, and the package being, wound, and taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view takenin the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a similar view illustrating the spindle having a wound package thereon.

- While the present invention may be advantageously employed forpackaging filaments or strands formed of various diiferent materials, it finds particular utility when-used for packaging synthetic fibers, especially glass filaments or fibers, during their attenuation, and the invention is here illustrated and described in connection with the production of glass fibers.

Apparatus for producing strands of glass fibers or filaments, as shown in Figure 1, may comprise a feeder l 0 adapted to contain a supply of molten glass and having a plurality of orifices in the bottom thereof through which molten glass flows in the form of streams. The glass streams are attenuated by a winding device indicated generally in Figure 1' of the drawings by the reference character l2. As the filaments are formed ,they are gathered together to form a strand}! by means of a guide it having provision for applying a lubricant and binder to the filaments which form the strand. v

The winding device I! may be of any suitable design. for example, it may include a collet it which is rotated at the rate of speed required to attenuate the filaments in the strand to the desired-diameter. In accordance with conventionalpractice, the collet I8 is mounted on a spindle I1 and the latter is drivenby a suitable prime mover preferably in the form 'of an electric mdtor (not shown). A sleeve or tube It is received over the collet and-.the strand is is wound onto the sleeve while being distributed along the sleeve by a traversing device it to build up a wound package 20.

Althoi'igh the traversing mechanism It may be anyone of various types insofar as the presentinvention is concerned, the one selected for the purpose of illustration is mechanism which may be operated at a relatively slow rate. if desired. "Briefly, the traversing mechanism is diagrammatically indicated inligure l as comprising a strand engaging eye'2i1carried by a slide 22. Theslide 22 is mounted on a suitable support 23 for reciprocation in opposite directions parallel to the axis of rotation of the spindle l1 and is operatedv by a suitable drum-type cam 2d. The cam 24 is mounted ona rotatable shaft 28 which is driven in any, suitable manner, as

by a variable speed gearing and motor unit.

The tube or sleeve l9 on-which the strand iii is wound is made of a highly flexible material and is capable of being collapsed within the package by hand and without injury to the sleeve. When collapsed. the sleeve It may be readily removed from pne end of the package after the latter is disengaged from the collet It.

I In actual practice, sleeves made from a gummed or latex-coated paper, Vinylite treated or coated cotton cloth or glass fiber cloth, cotton cloth coated with rubber or materials having characteristics similar to rubber have beenfound satisfactory. For reasons of economy and also because operating results have been very good, sleeves made by spirally winding medium weight Kraft paper on a mandrel are preferred. The sleeves comprise 2 to 4 layers of paper bonded together with latex, standard rubber cement, or similar adhesive. The materials best fitted for forming the sleeves H are light in'weight and-of a highly flexible nature to enable readily deforming the sleeve without injury-- thereto so that the sleeve may be reused in forming additional packages.

The collet i8 is shown in. detail 'in' Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. It comprises a central hub 3| provided with end flanges 32 having a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots 24 extending inwardly from the peripheral edges thereof. A corresponding number of blades 38 are positioned between. the-flanges 32,1 and the opposite ends of the blades are provided with pintles 8! respectively pivotally-receivedin openings in the flanges at the inner ends of'the slots I4. It will also be noted from Figure 2 that opposite sides 42 of the slots in the flanges.

4 stantially V-shaped and the leading sides 40 of the slots form stops to engage the projecting ends of the blades for limiting the extent of swinging movement of the blades under the influence of centrifugal force. At their limit of movement the blades are in a position just short oi a radial position. The flexible tube or sleeve i8 is of a diameter to snugly surround the collet i6 when the blades are in this position so that only little expanding force is exerted on the sleeve by the blades when the collet is rotated. Upon discontinuing rotation of the collet, the blades 38 swing inwardly from near-radial position about their respective pivotal connections and engage the The sleeve i! with the package of filaments thereon may then be readily slipped off the collet and replaced with an empty sleeve. The outer edges of the blades are preferably rounded to provide a smooth bearing contact with the inner wall of the sleeve.

As soon as a flexible sleeve is positioned on the collet and rotation of the latter is initiated, the blades 26 swing outwardly by the action of centrifugal force into almost radial position to snugly engage the sleeve to rotate the sleeve. This clamping force exerted on the flexible tube by the blades is limited by the stops 40 but slippage of the sleeve on the collet during the winding operation is prevented because the winding tension exerted on the outer surface of the flexible sleeve by the strand being wound securely holds the sleeve against the outer edges of the collet blades.

The compressive forces resulting from the winding tension exerted on the sleeve by the strand are cumulative and react on the collet blades through the flexible tube and are not borne by the sleeve itself except to put the walls of the sleeve in transverse compression. As winding pro.- gresses and as compressive forces in the package counterbalance centrifugal force on the blades. the collet blades may move slightly from their near-radial positions to relieve the compressive forces. This is advantageous because it not only provides a relatively loose package capable of being more easily unwound but, also because of the pivotal relation of the blades it has the effect of maintaining the overall diameter of the pack-- age more uniform throughout the winding operation. As a result, the rate of attenuation of the filaments is correspondingly more uniform and the diameter of the filament ma be controlled within closer limits.

Figure 4 of the drawings is illustrative of the position assumed by the collet blades when a package of strand is wound thereon. It will be portions 38 of opposite ends" of-the bladesrespec- A tively project into the slots 2t and the outer. edges of. the blades extend be'yondtheperiphery of the flanges 32-.

Referring to Figure 3. the slots 84 are subnoted that the blades 38 have been forced out of contact with the wall 40 of the slot by the compression of the package of strand and are held in this position by the centrifugal force resulting from rotation of the spindle. Due to the reduced overall diameter of the spindle resulting from the swinging of the blades about their pintles the tube I8 is forced to compensate for this reduction and assumes a substantial catenary between the blades. This also becomes an advantage in handlingand later operations on the package since the layers of strand adjacent the tube are loosened thus relieving the winding tension throughout a portion of the package.

It-is the usual practice in winding continuous glass fiber strands, where attenuation is accomplished directly by the winder. to start the strand on the spindle to one side of the area on which operator before the spindle attains full windin speed. After the winding speed is reached the strand is moved to the winding area where it is then wound and traversed in the described manner. Unless this procedure is followed the strand attenuated with the spindle running at low speed is coarse and nonuniform in size and would impair the quality of the package in which it was included.

The above is generally'true also in stopping the winding when a full package is termed. Since the rapidly rotating spindle cannot be stopped instantaneously, when, the package is full the strand is usually moved off the end of the spindle before the brake is applied. Thus a coarse strand resulting from the decelleration of the spindle is not wound as a part of the package. As a result inertia within the package. If the sleeve were not flexible the package when released by the blades would tend to spin even though the collet were stopped. This is prevented in the present invention by factors which include the pivotal relationship of the blades, the positive engagement of the sleeve with the blades due to the depressed areas of the sleeve between the blades and the effect of the centrifugal force and inertia of the package which combine to move the blades outwardly with increased pressure against the sleeve. The sleeve remains in engagement with the blades until the rotation of the spindle is substantially stopped. Sudden application of the spindle brake tends to increase the gripping action between the blades and sleeve rather than induce relative movement thereof.

This action is the same whether the package is wound on a tube as described or whether it is wound directly on the bare blades. The package deforms as the blades move under the influence of the winding tension as illustrated in Figure A and this decrease in diameter efiects a loosening of the innner strands of the package.

After the package of filaments has been wound on the sleeve of the invention, the sleeve and package thereon are removed from the collet IB and this unit may be shipped or transported to processing locations, where the strand may be twisted, plied, interwoven, or otherwise processed. If desired, the sleeve is may be removed from the package before the latter is shipped or further processed, in which event there is no need to return sleeves or tubes to the filamentproducing station. Unwinding of the strand from either the inside or the outside of the package is facilitated by the fact that when the winding has ceased and the package is no longer subjected to centrifugal force, any tension exerted by the filaments on the sleeve and on the collet new acts tocollapse the sleeve and thereby permit the filaments to relax and loosen in the package. As a result there is less tendency for the fibers of adjacent strands to stick together, and unwinding of the strand may be accomplished with the minimum danger of breakage.

This application is a division of a copending application flled' by myself and Henry Snow as joint inventors on February 14, 1945 Serial No.

577,924 and contains subiect matter shown and described but not claimed therein.

Various modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

, I claim:

1. An apparatus for winding strand material to form a package comprising, a rotatable spindle including a hub having annular radial flanges thereon provided with radially extending substantially v-shaped slots, blades pivotally connected at each end to said flanges adjacent the apex of said slots and movable on an are within said slots. said blades having rounded outer edges lying at all times wholly without the circumference of said flanges and adapted to receive and support thereon a flexible tube on which the-strand is wound, and means for retating said spindle to swing said blades into contact with said flexible tube.

2. An apparatus for winding strand material to form a package comprising, a rotatable spindle including a hub having annular radial flanges thereon provided with radially extending substantially V-shaped slots, blades pivotally connected at each endto said flanges adjacent the apex of said slots and movable on an are within said slots to increase or decrease the diameter of said spindle, said blades being normally adapted to be projected outwardly by centrifugal force generated by rotation of the spindle and movable inwardly against said force by the tension of winding the strand thereon, and means for roiating said spindle.

3. An apparatus for winding strand material to form a package comprising, a rotatable spindle including a hub having annular radial flanges thereon provided with radially extending substantially V-shaped slots, blades pivotally connected at each end to said flanges adjacent the apex of said slots and movable on an, are within said slots to increase or decrease the diameter of said spindle, said blades being normally adapted to be projected outwardly .by centrifugal force generated by rotation of the spindle and movable inwardly against said force during the winding of the package at a rate sufllcient to maintain a substantially constant. outside diameter of the package, and means for rotating said spindle.

4. An apparatus for winding strand material to form a package comprising, a yieldable holder adapted to support thereon a flexible sleeve on which the strand is wound and rotatable at high speed, said holder including a hub having complementary flanges at either end, said flanges having peripheral notches therein adapted to receive a series of movable blades pivoted at their ends to the flanges in alignment with the ends of said notches and the axis of said hub, the walls forming said notches limiting the swinging movement of the blades within a. region terminating at the forward end in a plane substantially short of a radial plane passing through and parallel with the axes of said pivot and said hub, and means for rotating said holder, said rotation effecting an outward and forward movement of said blades for engaging a flexible sleeve carried by the holder, said blades being movable in reverse direction under the influence of compressive forces created by the winding tension of said strand.

' 5. Mechanism for winding strand material to form a package comprising a rotatable collet adapted for rotation at high speed, said collet including a'support, a plurality of members inde-, pendently movably mounted on the support and forming the peripheral surface of said collet, said members movable about centers spaced radially from the axis of said collet, a stop limiting the outward movement of said members in a region approaching but short of a substantially radial relation with said axis under the influence of forces created by rotation of the collet, and means for rotating the collet.

6. Mechanism for winding strand material to form a package comprising a rotatable, collet adapted for rotation at high speed, said collet including a support, a plurality of members independently movably mounted on the support and forming the peripheral surface of said collet, said members movable about centers spaced radially from the axis of said collet and extending generally in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the collet, and means for rotating the collet.

7. Mechanism for winding strand material to form a package comprising a rotatable collet adapted for rotation at high speed, said collet including a support, a plurality of yieldable members independently movably mounted on the support and forming the peripheral surface of said collet for supporting thereon a flexible sleeve on which the strand is wound, said members movable about centers spaced radially from the axis of said collet and extending generally in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation oi the collet, and means for rotating the collet whereby said members are extended into contact with the sleeve and yieldably held against the compressive forces resulting from the winding tension of the strand.

8. Mechanism for winding strand material to form a package comprising a rotatable collet, said collet including a support, a plurality of blades independently movably mounted on the support and forming the peripheral surface of said collet. said blades movable about centers spaced radially from the axis of said collet and being freely movable within a restricted'region. approaching but short of the radial relation of the centers with said axis under the influence of forces created-by rotation of the collet, and means for rotating the collet.

9. Mechanism for winding strand material to form a package comprising a rotatable collet adapted to removably receive thereon a sleeve on which the strand is wound, said collet including a support, a plurality of blades independently movably mounted on the support and forming the peripheral surface of said collet, said blades movable about centers spaced radially from the axis of said collet and being freely movable within a region approaching but short of the radial relation of the center with said axis under the iniluence of forces created by rotation of the collet to increase or decrease its diameter, and means for rotating the collet whereby said blades are extended by the centrifugal force of rotation into contact with a sleeve carried thereby.

GAMES SLAYTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 800,986 Conner Oct. 3, 1905 1,839,339 Peters Jan. 5, 1932 

